Portugal has undergone something of a wine revolution in the past couple of decades, updating its winemaking technologies, styles, and attitudes. Aside from the well-known (and world-famous) fortified wines of Port and Madeira, Portugal produces a variety of still red and white wines of varying renown and style, ranging from the dry, refreshing whites of Vinho Verde to the sparkling wines of Óbidos and the warm reds of the Douro and Dão.
This country has received a lot of attention in the last decade or so for its new wave of rich, ripe table wines, particularly reds from the Douro Valley. Annual wine production is around 600 million liters (about half of which is exported), and the country has around 195,000 hectares of vineyards (480,000 acres).
Popular Wine Regions and Grape Varieties in Portugal
Wine regions are divided into the Mainland and The Island, in which the brightest point is Douro River in the north of the mainland where its valleys, and the associated Port and still red wine production there, which is heavily focused on the city of Porto – the region’s the production and wine aging center.
Douro
Terraced vineyards on sun-kissed slopes plunging down to the wide, slow-flowing Douro river as it winds towards the great Port houses in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Though the Douro is best known for its fortified wines, the region’s total output is fairly evenly divided between Port and non-fortified table wines.
The Douro’s wines, both still and fortified, can be made from more than 80 different grape varieties, but in practice, five key varieties dominate the vineyards: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cao, and Tinto Roriz (Tempranillo). The aromatic Touriga Nacional is the most well-known, and Touriga Franca is the most widely planted.
A number of international varieties have also found a home in the Douro valley, particularly for table wine production. The most common non-native grapes planted here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewürztraminer.
